Building construction



Sept; 22, 1936. 7 J. BACIGALUPO 0 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug; 12, 1955 1am H I 1| 7/ u ,1 1w IITIF- F 4am? i4 JAMES ElAEI EALLIF'EI BY ATTORNEY.

INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE r 2,055,000 I 1' BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Joseph Bacigalupo, San Francisco, Calif. Application August 12, 1935, Serial- No. 35,175

4 Claims.

signed primarily to absorb such shocks and prevent the same from being transmitted to building structures.-

On the Pacific coast especially including. Mexico and in many sections of the Southern Hemisphere,- including the South Americas, earthquakes are very common occurrences and in the islands of the Pacific Ocean many of these disturbances occur at regular intervals and it is the object of my invention to produce a building structure that will absorb these earth disturbances and prevent transmission of these earth shocks to such structures and the consequent collapse of the same.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a building structure that is resiliently mounted relative to the earths surface both horizontally and vertically and that is provided with means adapted to absorb both lateral and vertical movements or contortions of the earths surface during an earthquake,

A further object of the invention is to incorporate in building structures means for absorbing both lateral and vertical convulsions of the earth and that embodies resilient mountings both for the support of the structure relative to the earth and laterally relative to side or lateral motion to absorb both lateral and vertical movements thereof which movements are common in most earth disturbances of this character.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of earth-quake absorbing means for building structures that will allow of the lateral and vertical movement thereof and also includes means for cushioning said lateral and vertical movements and additionally embodies anti-friction means for easing said lateral movement.

An additional object of the invention is that of providing means for earthquake proofing building structures in such manner that the same will remain stationary during convulsions of the earth, .as in earthquakes, due to the fact that said structure is resiliently carried both laterally and vertically by resilient members, such as compression springs and an anti-friction track which not only allows vertical and lateral movement of the earth relative to the building structure but also allows the earth to twist or convulse in a rotary direction relative to the structure so equipped.

Ancillary to the foregoing objects is that of providing means for preventing earth shocks building structure either after it is built or during the course oficonstruction.

Referring generally to the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of a building structure of the usual form showing my improved earthquake absorbing system in place; a portion of the foundation excavation being shown and the means for supporting the structure vertically and the means for absorbing lateral convulsion of the earth, as in earthquakes, and

Figure 2 is a plan view of the vertical and lateral absorbing means showing the preferred radial arrangement of the lateral or radial shock absorbing mechanism of the device, also the ball bearing supports which allow of the torsional movement of the foundation of the structure relative to the foundation thereof.

Referring more specifically to the drawing in which the preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed, Figure 1 shows a building structure of usual form which may be an office building or a dwelling structure 5, said structure being mounted upon a suitable base or the like 6.

An excavation l is provided in the earths structure as indicated at 1 and in this excavation, which may be lined with concrete, is positioned supporting members 8 and 9 and additional supporting members Ill, said members I being spaced from the base 6, as shown in Figure 1 and anti-friction ball members H are interposed between the members 8 and 9 so that the earths surface may twist or revolve relative to the structure carrying the member 9 with it.

Interposed between the base 6 of the structure and the supporting member ID is a plurality of compression springs I2 held in position by means of the spring seats l3 and I l, said springs being of sufficient strength to bear the dead weight of the structure 5 and to still allow of sufficient resiliency to shock proof the said structure.

It will now be observed that the excavation 1 is provided with a circular member or ring l5 arranged in the upper end thereof and that a plurality of shock absorbing elements l6 are arranged radially within this ring, said elements comprising telescoping cylinders I! and I8 having rods I9 and 20 contacting, respectively, the ring I 5 and the base 6 of the structure, said telescopic cylinders having compression springs 2| arranged therein and adapted to urge the rods 20 against the supporting base 6 of the structure.

It will thus be seen that a structure so equipped and supported will be immune from lateral earth shocks and from vertical contortions thereof also from twisting or torsional movements of the earths surface relative to the structure in that all shocks are absorbed vertically, laterally and torsionally by the various shock absorbing elements and the anti-friction ball races which com-- pensate for the twisting or torsional movement of the earth.

In the drawing I have shown the mechanism as included in a circular floor plan but is to be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to this specific structure as the floor plan may be of rectangular or other corresponding shape.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States the following:-v

1. In a device of the class described, means for,

resiliently supporting a building structure, in combination, an excavation for said structure, an anti-friction turntable in said excavation, a structure having a base mounted above said turntable, resilient means interposed between said base andrsaid turntable and radially disposed telescopic means disposed about said base whereby lateral, vertical and torsional vibrations are absorbed by said means.

2. In an earthquake absorbing structure of the .class described, in combination with a building excavation, a turntable mounted in'said excavation and comprising anti-friction elements, a base for said structure, vertically disposed spring elements mounted between the base and said turntable and supporting the entire weight of said structure, and radially disposed telescopic spring members arranged in the excavation and engaging the base of said structure and capable of absorbing lateral movement of said structure relative to said excavation.

l. In a device of the class described as claimed in claim 3 and including radially disposed telescopic members having rods adapted to frictionally engage said base and having compression springs in said telescopic members adapted to absorb lateral shocks transmitted thereto by lat eral convulsions of the earths surface.

JOSEPH BACIGALUPO; 

